Tackling on reality: Development outpaced planning to match growth

GREAT BAY--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten and Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling addressed St. Maarten’s worsening traffic conditions, warning that high-season congestion has become a visible national challenge that cannot be solved overnight and will require coordinated, data-driven action across ministries.

Minister Heyliger-Marten said the country is now in high season, a period when traffic typically intensifies in most destinations. She acknowledged that this year the situation is especially delicate and highly visible, particularly as St. Maarten works hard to attract visitors while residents and the tourism sector feel the strain of daily gridlock.

The Justice Minister added that the country must be realistic and acknowledge that St. Maarten’s development has progressed without timely measures to match growth, which is now creating daily pressure on productivity and quality of life.

Heyliger-Marten stressed that traffic cannot be fixed in a single day and described the response as an inter-ministerial effort involving TEATT, VROMI, and Justice. She said VROMI already has work underway and emphasized that professionals must guide the process through a full assessment before concrete long-term decisions are made.

She highlighted the impact on tourism operators and workers, noting reports that taxi drivers are struggling to complete two or three trips per day because vehicles are stuck in congestion for long periods. She also referenced concerns raised by private-sector transportation operators, including VIP service providers, who say they now need significantly more vehicles than before to manage daily movements, adding further strain to already crowded roads.

Heyliger-Marten cautioned that St. Maarten must confront capacity limits, saying the country wants more tourism but is now recognizing that the island is at its limits in terms of what current infrastructure can handle. She said alleviating pressure will require exploring alternative transportation modes and other measures to reduce the number of cars on the road, but noted that these options take time, planning, and funding. In the meantime, she urged patience while the ministries work toward structured solutions.

Minister Tackling, speaking from the perspective of public safety and enforcement, said the Ministry of Justice can assist with traffic control and enforcement, but emphasized that infrastructure and transportation solutions primarily fall under TEATT and VROMI. She said it is encouraging that VROMI is now pursuing a data-driven study, including identifying short-term measures that can be implemented while broader planning continues.

Tackling said the reality is that there are too many vehicles trying to move across infrastructure that cannot support that volume at the same time of day. She shared a recent example of commuting after 6:00 p.m., when traffic extended as far as Mullet Bay despite there being no accident or incident, describing it as a pure volume problem caused by heavy one-direction movement along a limited roadway. She said officers can pull and manage traffic for extended periods, but those measures alone cannot resolve the underlying congestion.

She said the justice sector will continue liaising with TEATT and VROMI and will support actions that can be taken within law enforcement’s scope, including targeted enforcement where needed.

Tackling also referenced complaints about traffic and public order concerns in the Maho area, including issues involving double-decker buses at the roundabout. She said police indicated enforcement action would be carried out, while noting that public safety demands must be balanced across the country, especially on days with heavy port activity that require officer deployment in other areas. She emphasized that staffing constraints remain a challenge, but said the issue has the ministry’s attention because it affects residents, visitors, and national productivity.

Both ministers underscored that traffic congestion is a shared national problem requiring coordination across ministries, professional assessment, and a combination of short-term controls and longer-term infrastructure and mobility solutions.

‍